


Twenty Questions

by pocky_slash



Series: Next of Kin [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-02
Updated: 2011-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-15 22:28:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocky_slash/pseuds/pocky_slash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy digs for details. Canton gives as good as he gets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twenty Questions

**Author's Note:**

> Total fluff. Not betaed. Canton is the best. The end.

As it turned out, traveling through time and space and saving other planets and other times involved a fair bit of running. At least as much as hunting down the bad guys on Uncle Sam's dime. Canton didn't mind much--when the Doctor appeared in his living room while David was away at his medical conference, Canton hadn't imagined his use of the word "vacation" had quite the same meaning as it did on Earth.

Still, he could use a little excitement. Sitting at home reading through the local library was getting a bit dull. He wasn't surprised that President Nixon had found a creative way to both reward him and fuck him over in the aftermath of the spaceman debacle. That was the Republican party for you. Canton was reinstated to the FBI as a special consultant to the President. Of course, there wasn't much to consult on, now that the immediate issues raised by the Silence had been dealt with, so Canton spent most of his time sitting around the house on the country's dime, wishing he was doing something a bit more useful.

David, the sly asshole that he was, thought being paid to do nothing was a fantastic fuck you to the organization that had kicked Canton out on his ass. David, of course, got to go to work every day and make a difference, so what the hell did he know?

Traveling with the Doctor was a welcome change. Canton had been doing some reading on telephones and cameras and technology in the two months since his last encounter with the Doctor and he was eager to ask more questions (of Amy Pond--Amy was always willing to talk, perhaps too much so. He knew better than to ask the Doctor.) and nose around the TARDIS some more. He kept a better head upon first entry, this time, but he really hoped he never lost the wonder of that first glance around the enormous ship. It was really something else.

The Doctor had attempted to take him and the Ponds to some planet with a name Canton had no hope of pronouncing. Wires got crossed, however, and they ended up in France in the 19th Century. There were more monsters, of course, but they saved the day, in the end. Now they were relaxing with a nice bottle of wine that had been a token of gratitude from the gentleman whose estate was being invaded.

A whole vineyard had been the token, actually, but the Doctor doubted they could fit it into the TARDIS, despite Amy's best pout. Canton was of the mind that the Doctor was just too lazy to figure out how to get it inside the ship in the first place.

Above them, the Doctor was messing with bits of the TARDIS and occasionally yelling to Rory to help him with something or other. Amy glanced up, fondly, and then turned her gaze onto Canton. She leaned her elbows on her knees and pinned him with a look.

"So," she said. "Tell me about your boyfriend."

Canton smiled easily and leaned back. "Sure thing," he said. "If you'll tell me about video phones."

Amy looked surprised at his request and then laughed. She picked up the bottle of wine and topped off first her own glass and then his. "Okay. Fair enough. What's his name?"

"David," Canton said. "How prevalent are these things? You've got one and Rory's got one. Does everyone in 20..."

"Ten," Amy supplied.

"Does everyone in 2010 have a video phone?" he asked.

"Most people do, yeah," she said. "I mean, it's like any, you know. Luxury. It started off as just a toy for rich people but now they've got better toys and these are pretty standard. What does David do?"

"He's a doctor," said Canton. "A radiologist. What are video phones for? I mean... is there a reason everyone has them? What use is having little videos on your phone?"

Amy shrugged. "It's what's in," she said. "I don't know. They can be dead useful, like with the Silence, but mostly people use them to take stupid videos of their friends and upload them to the internet. How long have you and David been together?"

Canton counted backwards. God. It had been long enough that he had to count backward. He'd never thought that day would come. It was kind of a nice feeling.

"Twelve... almost thirteen years. We've got an anniversary coming up," he said. "What's an internet?"

" _The_ internet," Amy said. "It's this--"

"Amelia Pond, you're not giving away the secrets of the universe to Mr. Delaware, are you?" the Doctor called down from above.

Amy tipped her head back and pouted at the Doctor through the glass floor.

"Doctor," Canton said, "you've been taking me around in your ship that can travel through time and space. Are the ins and outs of video phones really going to make it that much worse?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, coming down the long curved staircase to join them with Rory on his heels, "because video phones are something that's going to come about in your life time. It doesn't count if it's so far in the future that you're not going to get a chance to see it first hand."

Rory sat on the arm of Amy's chair and stole her wine and Canton frowned. No one had said anything, of course, but Amy and Rory were from his world not all that far into his future. He had kind of hoped... well. At least he was getting to see the wonders of time and space now, even if trips to the moon weren't in his immediate future. He didn't know that he was too keen on going there anymore anyway.

But that did raise another question.

"So you're an alien, then?" he asked. "Or are you from so far in our future that time and space travel are common place?"

The Doctor frowned. "Good question. Has anyone ever told you you're a bit _too_ brilliant?" he asked.

Canton rolled his eyes.

"David was the reason they managed to kick me out of the FBI. It doesn't mean that was the first time they tried."

"Causing trouble by being brilliant," the Doctor mused. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Canton." He clapped Canton on the shoulder. "All right, you lot. Where to next?"

Amy and Rory looked at Canton, expectantly.

"What?" he asked. "Me?"

"You're the newbie!" Rory said. "Wow, it feels good to say that to someone else. Your choice."

Canton looked around the TARDIS, the twisted, beautiful machinery, the hallways leading out into dozens, _hundreds_ of other rooms. All housed in a blue box the size of a phone booth. All of time and space to see. The entire universe at his finger tips.

He smiled.

"Okay," he said. "I have a few ideas."

He'd have a lot of stories to tell David at the end of this vacation. He was going to make sure of that.


End file.
